A Spiritual Hemoglobin A1C

Almost one year ago my daughter Skye (9, pictured left) was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Her diagnosis requires that she monitors her carbohydrate intake, and inject insulin several time s a day. Failure to monitor this on a daily basis could lead to blindness, infertility, amputation, kidney failure, even death. And because the body is constantly changing, it isn't as easy to control as simply taking a pill everyday. Skye has to count her carbs, check her blood sugar levels, and adjust the amount of insulin she injects to keep her body balanced.

Every 3 months she has a check up where they draw a little blood that will allow for them to test her hemoglobin A1C. This test gives us important feedback we need to determine if the treatments we are using are working, and if we are being disciplined enough in our treatment. If not we make adjustments.

I wish there were a spiritual check up we could do to help us determine if the lives we are leading are really helping us have healthy spiritual lives. What would be the benefits of a spiritual A1C?

1. The A1C tells the truth no matter how well intentioned we are.
We take our daughters diabetes very seriously, but just because we feel passionate about it, doesn't mean we are doing the best to treat our daughter, the A1C tells us what we need to know. Spiritually I am often passionate about my relationship with God, but that passion doesn't always translate to action and devotion in my life. A spiritual check-up could help me be honest with myself about how I am doing.

2. the A1C tells us if we need to make adjustments.
If my daughter's number is off, something isn't working, we need to make changes.
People get "stuck" doing the same things over and over again .... even if they are getting poor results! Many times I talk to students who tell me that life just isn't working and the Bible and prayer aren't making a difference. If you are not experiencing depth in your relationship with God, then something isn't working, you need to make adjustments.

3. A good A1C typically confirms my wellness.
My daughter's daily health is rarely in jeopardy. The treatments we use are there for her continued health over the long term. If her numbers are good, her future looks good.
If the spiritual practices in my life are working, then I am probably experiencing spiritual health, and if there aren't too many radical changes in my life, I will probably remain stable into the future.

So is there a "check-up" we can do to determine if we are spiritually healthy or not?

In part two I'll share some thoughts I have on this, but for right now I'd love to get your feedback.

1. What indicators let you know someone is spiritually healthy? How do you know if you are?

2. Are check-ups like this a good thing or are they damaging? How could they be used in the wrong way?

3. If there were a check up available would you use it?

Let me know your thoughts.

Mark